Fathers and Daughters: Helping Girls and Their Dads Build Unbreakable Bonds

Australian journalist and television presenter King (Being 14) polled and interviewed 1,300 girls, and many of their dads, along with parenting experts, school administrators, and psychologists for this, unfortunately, rather routine and unenlightening investigation into the father-daughter relationship. King relates how normal adolescent emotional development and changing needs can affect clueless and tuned-in dads alike, observing that teenage girls want dads who are supportive but nonjudgmental, and are genuinely interested in and solicitous of their opinions—which may be difficult for those stuck on thinking of their girls as children. Though King crafts a decent narrative, she offers nothing new and very limited advice, relying primarily on the voices of her interviewees to set the tone, which is marred by Down-Under colloquialisms and takes on customs, culture, and education. The concluding chapter features a list of skills dads should keep in mind for rekindling and maintaining the dad-daughter connection: unconditional love; confidence building; being there; shared interests and quality time together; teaching life skills and decision-making; and meaningful, not superficial, communication. Despite exhaustive research, including the use of American experts and authors, this is so relentlessly Australian as to make King’s work unlikely to appeal to U.S. parents. (Nov.)